MTH Electric Train’s RealTrax O-gauge track system represents a step up in ease of use and appearance from earlier tubular track systems while preserving the ability of tubular track to accommodate tight spaces due to the small O31 radius.

Because of its integrated plastic roadbed, RealTrax is a good choice for floor and carpet layouts. However, the presence of the roadbed makes RealTrax almost impossible to cut into custom straight and curved sections while the rigid track joining eliminates much of the flex inherent in the older tubular style track. These two facts mean layout designers face a new world with new design parameters when trying to adapt existing and future layout designs to the RealTrax system.

Enter the RealTrax Example Layouts from R & S Enterprises These consist of 58 example layouts using MTH RealTrax and MTH RailKing accessories. Layout sizes range from 4 x 8 feet ( a standard sheet of plywood) up to 30 x 11 feet (a good size room). The example layouts use primarily O31 curves as their basis, with some layouts using O42 curves on the mainline, while others using O54 and O72 mainline curves. The latter are generally the larger layouts. All of the layout designs are complete with scenery and structures, and are divided into small, midsize, and large layouts. There are also example layouts reverse loops, wyes, figure 8s, yard ladders, and crossovers.

.You can purchase the RealTrax Example Layouts from R & S Enterprises for $19. They come on a CD complete with an explanatory help file and an installer designed to interface with RR-Track v4.02. A copy of RR-Viewerv4.1 is included on the CD with viewer libraries that display all of the RealTrax O examples (these libraries are not compatible with RR-Track v4.x). RR-Viewer v4.1 allows the user to display in both 2D and 3D any of these layouts, study their component list, and print them (changing them with RR-VIewer is not supported). If already own a copy of RR-Track with the MTH RealTrax O and MTH RailKing accessories libraries, you can then use RR-Track to modify these layout designs as needed. If you don’t own a copy of RR-Track v4 and wish to use these RealTrax layouts as a basis for your own design, order the RR-Track MTH special for $69.

O31 Layouts, Small

Layout

Description

Plywood Loop

3.5 x 7 feet rectangular, nested oval with passing siding, spur, 34 track sections and 19 accessories. Town area as well as countryside. One sheet of plywood.

Plywood Reverse

4 x 8 feet rectangular, oval with reverse and two spurs. RR station and city area. 45 track sections and 22 accessories. One sheet of plywood.